The Captain's Jedi (Part 6)
by IIAMasterSHenson
Summary: The Final Chapter. Sola's dreams reveal a clear picture and Rex suffers an identity crisis. Both go to aid Onderon rebels, where questions attempt to be answered. Rex and Sola have to choose where their loyalties lye: with the Republic, each other? As they continue on with unchecked passions on unclear paths, the jedi and the captain may come to find they have very few choices left


From the moment General Krell stepped onto Umbara's surface, Captain Rex knew that something was amiss. He'd commended him, saying "Your reputation proceeds you, General. It's an honor to be serving with you" to which Krell had replied, "I find it interesting you are able to recognize the value of honor…for a clone."

Rex had been shocked then and he continued to be shocked until now. Skywalker had left and Kenobi was unreachable. All he and his clone team had was Krell, the besalisk jedi General well known for the number of casualties it took to win his victories, though he won them frequently. But this… this was beyond ruthless tactics. His assault on the city and on the air base had been foolhardy and devoid of any thought to the lives of the clones who died to achieve it. Fives had said it and he was right: Krell hated clones. Or at the very least thought of them as "things."

Sola's words came back to Rex again:

 ** _[Do you really feel entirely expendable?]_**

No, he did not. He knew that he never would. He and his men were just that: men. People. But he knew that while he was Rex to them and to Sola and Skywalker and the like, he was and would probably always be CT-7567 to Krell. The General proved that. And now he was forced to try to keep as many of his brothers alive and not commit treason—nor condone mutiny.

Krell's orders set off the arguing after he relayed the information to his squad. They were to march directly onto the capital and "take this planet" once and for all. This was something they had already tried earlier, even if from a different position. Dozens of clones had died then. How many more would now?

Dogma, narrow-minded though good hearted as he was, argued for Krell but Rex knew…. This was wrong. Krell was wrong. And Krell may very well get him and his men killed. But Rex also knew fighting at cross purposes in multiple threads would only complicate things. They couldn't afford to do that. Fives followed him out.

"This is about more than just following orders," he said. Rex steeled himself before he turned.

"It is. It's about honor." He replied, face stoic.

"Where is the honor in marching blindly to our deaths!?" Fives demanded. Rex had to pause briefly in order to ward off the truth.

"It is not our call." He said methodically, looking away. "We are part of something bigger, something larger. We are not independent of one another." It was true. They all made up the unit that was the republic and the fleet but Sola's words came again:

[ ** _(we) are in truth very…unique. We are people. And we each individually matter_** ].

"I'm sorry!" Fives brushed him off. "I cannot just follow orders when I know they're wrong! Especially when lives are at stake." His words carried weight and Rex's eyes narrowed.

"You will if you support the system we fight for." He said, poking him in the chest.

"I do support it, I do." Fives said. "But I am not just another number! None of us are!" He turned away from Rex.

"Fives! Where are you going?" Rex asked but he already knew the answer.

"To round up some pilots." The man said and left him standing there.

* * *

Sola tried to focus on the numbers and the squabbles of the many delegates in the senate but she was unfocused these days. Her nightmare continued to plague her and the reports coupled with inaction from the senate did not help her uneasy emotions.

She found herself meditating frequently, trying to re-center herself in the force. It helped her and she held 2-hour sessions of this at least once a day, no matter the work she had to get done.

But it never fully helped her in the way it could. It was as if a small part of her being was untouched by the efforts. She would clear her mind and her body of all thoughts and emotions and yet when she returned from her trance, she'd center on Grievous…and on Ventress. This would lead to thoughts about the Republic and how it was a beast ruled by a mob instead of by wise or tactical leaders. _They do not deserve the right to govern—certainly not in a time like this_. Her thoughts on the Republic as a whole became more and more scathing with every session she attended or pro/anti war group she played nice with.

What's more was that she was scared. There was no other word for it and she had not feared much in her life. But she was afraid they might lose this war, that the sith might prevail, that everything they stood for would go up in flames right before them. She feared the Republic's stupidity and the jedi's unwillingness to tell the Republic what was good for it. The Jedi oversaw the war and were not given the proper tools outside of the force. They prioritized relief efforts rather than decisive strikes. Sola believed in that, she did, but she knew that war wrought sacrifices and they could take medical facilities, trade routes, and supply lines more efficiently if they sacrificed a few hundred lives to make it so—saving several hundreds.

"Jedi Master?" The senator turned to look to her. Sola shook herself out of her contemplation and returned to her duties, no better off than before.

* * *

It was dangerous. It was treason.

Rex had seen them on his watch: Fives, Jesse, and Hardcase all coming in formation. Rex knew of Fives' plan, which he apparently hadn't given up even after the incident in the hangar where the test run with the Umbaran fighters had failed. The noise and damage had summoned Krell's attention and now the general had seen to it that they not be used at all, marking them dangerous. And yet here the clones were and there they went. Rex didn't even need to ask them why they were here but he did anyway. Rex felt his panic start up again and knew at once two things: first, that he truly was afraid the fighters may be too much for Fives and the others; and second, that he was afraid of Krell—the general who showed time and again that he disregarded clone life and would quite possibly make the three of them pay if they tried to go through with this plan.

"I can't help you." He had told them. The trio left, setting out on a mission no more dangerous or foolhardy than any of Krell's had been. Rex knew this and swallowed the lump in his throat. He wished they had communications on this planet. He wanted to talk to Skywalker, to Kenobi, to Sola. He had not felt this helpless since…since Teth….

He headed back inside, remembering the losses that happened there. His brothers, nearly all, shot down around him as they defended against impossible odds. Even then he put on a tough face only to succumb to grief when he had the luxury. They lost all to secure Christophsis, Teth, and the hutts. But the costs then were not like now. _Damnit, Fives! Damnit Hardcase, Jessee…_.

What could he do if they were caught? _How can I save my brothers now…?_ Just like at Teth, they were up against superior forces, outnumbered, and with murky information about location and enemy. And here was even worse…because with Krell…they were being made into a red carpet for the final wave to walk over onto the coup de grace, ordered there by their own commanding officer. He was a monster and Rex's blood boiled just thinking of it.

It was an attack on all sides. And Rex had to be ready for each assault.

* * *

 _"You lose Jedi!" He cried, jumping. Sola gasped and the saber swung down._

 _She bent backwards just in time for it to miss her neck but it impacted her stomach instead. She landed on her back but rolled away from him, scrambling to her feet. His blades came in propeller fashion again but she was not having it. She called on the force and gazed at him. He lunged, blades swinging, and she dodged deftly, bringing part of the dirt roof down on him. He sidestepped and she took her chance._

 _Sola's blade drove into his side halfway to the hilt. She cried a cry of rage as she plunged it deep, ripping it out moments later to duck and roll away from any backlash._

 _"Jedi scum!" He cried._

 _"Filthy, murderous clanker!" Sola shot back, meaning every single word. "Die like the thousands of filthy droids before you."_

 _He ran at her and she dodged, slashing at him again, severing yet another arm. The clanker howled and ran further towards the light. Sola followed, boomeranging her saber as she did so._

 _A beeping distracted her, signaling danger in her periphery. She saw the blinking on the wall she was passing. But then the wall was rubble, exploding outward toward her. Sola was knocked off her feet and into the opposing wall._

 _She managed to pull up a kinetic shield to save herself from sure death, hitting the wall painfully but harmlessly. Sola scrambled to her feet and saw the general covering ground. The wall was a trap set, like Grievous and so many other sith scum devised. She shakily got to her feet and ran after the general. She could hear the telltale sounds of a ship at the entrance. Desperation. Oh no he wouldn't!_

 _Sola was gaining on him and had him well within her sights soon. She chased him down back into the light of the afternoon, fighting to adjust her eyes. The sun scorched them as they met its beams and Sola jumped after Grievous who was being ziplined up to the hovering shuttle. With the help of the force, her blade met the line and they both fell. Sola slowed her fall and turned to the metal man._

 _"Insufferable fool!" He wheezed from his injuries, blood and oil emitting from his side. Sola tried not to find gratification in it and failed._ Bleed you murderer! Bleed!

 _She did not speak now, just ran at him with vicious swings. He dodged and they circled each other as he had nowhere to run. The engine sounded around them and Sola found purchase after purchase, eyes squinting due to the sun but blade hot on Grievous like he was a target and she was a missile. She would have him in pieces if it cost her her life and all the force it took to empower the deed!_

 _The ship landed on the ground and the exit ramp began its descent._ No _. Sola felt herself grow desperate. She couldn't take on two—not in this state. She could sense her injuries even if her rage and the force was helping her to block it out. She sought to finish Grievous off now, recklessly slashing at him in a zigzag that proved fruitful. She could survive the next person. And even if she didn't, she mustn't fear death—for she had eliminated her target. She would have had her revenge and made the galaxy a safer place for it._

 _But then the face that appeared made her pause long enough for the clanker to get purchase and kick her nearly two feet back. She reeled, flying to the side and landed with a sickening crunch as her shoulder took the brunt. She banged her teeth and moaned, body screaming for her to stay down but will overpowering her limitations. She stood, wobbling, and saw Dooku descend the metal slide of the ship. She found herself rooted and took a tentative step back only to look to her left just in time to take a spinning lightsaber straight to her face._

Sola awoke sweating and stricken, body physically ill from another vivid dream. She was in the guest quarters of a large council accommodation and sighed heavily as she got up from bed. Water and fresh air did her good and then she sat on the bed thinking to herself, accompanied only by the darkness. She got on the floor then and relaxed herself. _There is no emotion…._ It was the mantra that saved her soul from the storm but could not quench her lust. Each dream she was closer to him and yet closer to death.

And Dooku…his face was in Sola's mind like a brand. The man who was once a jedi and now led a dark armada against the order.

The presence of Dooku made Sola even more afraid, and she grabbed a blanket and curled up within it. If Grievous and Dooku were working together on this, that could mean terrible things. There could be many more out there in that desert—hundreds of battle droids and even more dark fighters not yet heard of. Even Ventress…

 _There is no emotion_ …. But there was emotion. Sola could feel it growing within her like the seed of a wompa fruit. It was blooming, blossoming in her chest—made up of anger and frustration and fear. All of these tossed around inside of her and forced her back onto the floor to start her 2 hour mediation—a meditation that never seemed to rid her of the emotions, only subdue them, keep them at bay. They were always present, no matter how many hours she devoted to vanquishing them. _If only_ … If only she had Rex here with her, to give her other emotions—ones that were just as strong as the fear was now so that they could drown it. _He would hold me…_. He would make her feel confident and nurtured and safer knowing his mind was with hers, watching her back. But Rex was on Umbara…and fighting a devastating battle himself. She felt the worry again but shushed it. He had Skywalker with him, so he would probably be able to pull through. He always did. They both always did….

Her dream flashed across her mind—the image of Grievous's saber hitting her and Dooku's cool, calm gaze. She decided to silence all else from her mind and truly try to meditate. And tomorrow she would see about Rex. And how soon he would be back.

* * *

Rex was sweating, counting down the minutes and trying not to. Counting would not make them return any faster, nor erase the signs on the scanners. Krell would know that they had taken the fighters sooner or later. He'd told them he couldn't help them—warned them. _But I have to try…_

"Captain," Krell's bark made Rex brace and he turned to face the man with a stoic face, battling the rage within him at the sight of the besalisk. "My flight officer reports the launch of three Starfighters. I thought I ordered those ships locked down." Rex blinked, face never changing.

"Sorry for the confusion sir." He said plainly. "I authorized the recon of the delta in preparation for your attack on the capital." Krell's eyes narrowed. Rex could feel the hairs on his arms prickling. He was anxious.

"You took it under you own authority to authorize such a reconnaissance!?"

"Oh yes sir." Rex tried to keep the condescending tone from his voice. "I'm sure the report will make your strategy more effective." He could feel the challenge in his own voice, try as he might to mask his hatred for the General. Krell huffed.

"I want that report. As soon as they are back!" Rex watched his retreating back and was about to take a breath when he spotted two figures coming from the landing pad. He wanted to kick something. _Not now!_ He spotted out Dogma and moved in on the pair. Tup was at his side.

"Hey, where are you two going?" They traded a look and tried to push past him. Rex was not force sensitive but he could sense deception. He stopped them. "I asked you a question, troopers." He now spoke at them with the full force of his authority.

"We…are going to speak with the general sir?" Dogma said, not meeting his eyes. Suddenly, Rex disliked him very much, the pieces finalizing.

"Regarding what?" He asked them. There was an edge in his voice.

"A personal matter?" Dogma said smoothly.

"Why don't you tell me and I'll report it to the general?" That stumped the two. Dogma's face was now disdainful.

"On second thought sir, it's not important." The two clones turned away and took off the same way that they came.

"Yeah," Rex muttered. "That's what I thought." He turned from their vacant spots and walked now back to the open hanger. He was too wired up and worried to sleep but too anxious to leave the vicinity. Three more of his brothers had left—against orders. They wouldn't be back, not soon anyway. And now with Dogma looking for a way around him, Rex felt his nerves strain even harder. He paced, forming a perimeter from the control station to the furthermost hangar, watching the skies. He wondered what Sola would be doing tonight, if she too were gazing up at the stars with anticipation.

She would probably be gazing up with a frown, he thought. Many times, he could catch her doing that. And each time he caught her, she would tell him she was just thinking. He would quip back at her—he knew she thinking but what was she thinking of? Was it the nightmares? Was it the Jedi? Was it the galaxy at war? His own mind battled between thought of the three knuckleheads off on a suicide mission and the brothers long dead.

The minutes continued to pass and he tried not to think of that but memories had come to him all the nights he'd served under Krell. He couldn't help but reflect on the brothers he'd lost, some who would be nameless in the galaxy to all but the clones. And when he didn't think of them, he thought of Sola and her double-bladed silver saber and small smile. And her limp body in his arms as he carried her out of their crashed ship onto Maridun.

The thoughts didn't seem to have a purpose at first. But tonight, Rex realized why the memories had been cycling through his brain. It was because he could die on Umbara—and deep down he knew it. He was a clone under a merciless and clone-hating General up against odds that even Skywalker was intimidated by.

He would not be the first clone to lost his life under such conditions. _And I should die gladly_ , he thought, _for the Republic—honor and sacrifice_. He understood the words and could repeat them better than Dogma but he did not feel them. Instead he felt the loss of torrent company at Teth; he felt Skywalker fighting beside him in some of the greatest battles of his career; he felt the brothers under his command now and how he had gotten so many of them this far—alive—despite what seemed to be Krell's best efforts at killing them; and then…most strongly…he felt Sola, and imagined her wishing for him, beckoning him to come back to her, pulling the two of them to a center point as if she could catch him in a bio-tractor beam. He knew what he wanted to live for, to die for—his team and his friends. _And her_. What was he fighting for if not for them?

The sounds of whirring engines shook him from his hours of pacing and sentimental contemplation. The sky came alive with the return of the Starfighters. Rex felt a small smile creep onto his face as the explosions sounded in the distance—the sound waves finally reaching their base. _They did it_. He watched as they touched down, his heart swelling with pride that was tempered by his confusion. There were only two planes.

Jesse and Fives jumped out of their pods to a pat on the back but Rex's walking was slowed as he realized what had happened. He knew before he even asked the question.

"He didn't make it." Fives confirmed Rex's fears about Hardcase.

"We couldn't have done this without him," Jesse added. Rex felt his brow furrow as his pride was tinged with grief. Another brother dead. _I did what I could…_. It hadn't been enough. _What am I fighting for if not for them_?

They heard the clomping of footsteps behind their circle and Rex glanced over his shoulder to see three clones, armed, walking towards them. He swallowed at the lump that'd formed in his throat. He knew who had sent them. This time, there was no fear there. This time, there was only the daggers he shot at the ones who were approaching.

"General Krell would like to see them in the tower." Rex closed his eyes in dismay.

* * *

Rex stood stiffly, fighting to keep control as he heard Krell speak. His jaw was stiff.

"It seems they have accomplished a very brave act." Krell said. "Unfortunately," Rex could feel his heart quicken, "they've also committed a serious crime by directly disobeying my order."

"With all due respect sir, the order to attack the cargo vessel was mine." The words were out of Rex's mouth right after Krell finished the sentence. "If there's a punishment to be given, it should be directed towards me." _What am I fighting for if not for them?_ "I am their commanding officer—"

"General Sir," Fives voice cut him off. "Captain Rex is attempting to take the blame for actions that are clearly mine."

"Fives!" Rex snarled at the man. He was trying to save him, to redirect the onslaught! He could take the punishment from Krell, he knew he could. Fives… _What would Krell do to Fives?_ But Fives would not stop and soon the General was looming over them and glowering in his way and giving them each a look that couldn't be read as anything other than superiority. Krell's tone made Rex's skin crawl. The next words hit him like a battering ram and he could hardly believe them but still they came.

"…the punishment for the treason committed by ARC Trooper 5555 and CT5597…court martialed…guilty…they will be executed!"

* * *

Sola's meditation was interrupted by the surge of emotion that hit her. It was real and physical but she could tell that it was not her own. Her eyes popped open and she blinked, unable to stop the flow of shock and dismay and hatred that poured into her. It was not a foreign feeling. Nor was it a light one.

"Rex…." She did not know how she knew but she could feel that it was him. It was almost like a signature, written like a letter and transmitted through the force, delivered directly into her mind. He was in pain. And he was angry.

Sola had gotten through nearly 3 hours but it was no matter now. She stood and left the room to which she was assigned and drifted silently to the central data hub. The emotion unsettled her. She did not know what was being done to him and already his own anger began to echo through her, inciting some of her own to mirror it. Whoever was causing his pain would stop if she could help it.

She opened the messaging and then scanned for updates regarding his assignment. He was still on Umbara though the reports told that Kenobi's forces on the east side of the planet were fruitful and that even the Umbaran central battleship station had been detonated just a few hours earlier. Sola frowned. Surely Rex hasn't perished in the explosion—there would be a KIA next to his name. She continued to look through the directory until she noticed that General Skywalker's assignment. She hadn't given it much thought before, the fact that he was stationed alongside Obi-Wan until she realized what that meant. _Who is with Rex's company?_ Another search gave her all the information she needed.

"Oh no…." It was General Krell, the decorated war General that lost almost as much as he won —and he won frequently. He produced results but it was often debated if his prices reflected the actual value of such wins. Sola could understand some instances; the others mostly appeared to be his recovering from missteps. Yet those missteps still cost many a clone their lives. And now Rex was under his command….

Sola knew she was near-helpless to aid him all the way here. She would never make it in time and she could not very well leave the delegates unattended while she ran off to…what? Take him from his duty? Fight where she was not assigned and challenge Krell's authority? Neither would serve Rex…. Sola worried. _But he's alive,_ she told herself. _He's alive…._

* * *

Rex waited with his fellow clones. The lot of them sat huddled in the sleeping quarters. No one made a sound but the solidarity could be felt.

They hadn't done it. Rex was still staring, blank faced and with rushing blood. They hadn't fired on Fives and Jessee. It was a direct order…and there would be consequences for it…Rex only hoped they were ready for them.

The call finally came and he stood, legs feeling solid but also unsteady, as if they were not his own but made of wax. Or worse, metal. He and his second in command walked up the General's operating room with straight backs and uncompromising faces.

"I ordered those clones to be destroyed." Krell said, looking Rex dead in the eye. He put hands on his shoulders, squeezing a bit too tight. "You're making a mistake by crossing me, clone." The word set fire off in Rex's stomach. His ears burned.

"It's Captain. Sir." He said. He could feel Krell's anger and he bared back at him. _I wish_ Rex almost wished that Krell would act. If he just had a reason, had grounds. He wanted to hurt him.

He wanted to kill him.

The transmission ended their standoff.

"We need to preempt the enemy by hitting them now with everything we've got." Krell said when it ended, switching focus. "You have your stay of execution—for now."

That was all the time that Rex needed. This was it. This was the assault. They would win the capital of Umbara. And that would be the end of all this—the end of Krell. _Or would it?_ It would be the end of the General for Rex at least. And when this was over, he would make his report. Krell couldn't be allowed to get away with all this. He was supposed to be their leader—a Jedi. But he didn't act like any Jedi Rex had ever known.

The clones suited up, the familiar bumping and clipping giving them all a sense of excitement. It was back to the battlefield. For a final sweep. There was a feeling of determination amongst them all. Rex took center as they headed to the coordinates Krell gave them and Rex relayed the details: the enemy had stolen uniforms and might disguise themselves as clones to trick them.

The forest was teeming as Rex and his company moved through the foliage and wildlife. They deerstepped, relaying the movements on their northern side. The first sighting put them all at attention. Rex scanned in his scope.

"They're dressed up as clones all right." Rex said. His team blinked acknowledgements and then the bolt hit the nearest tree. That was the spark that ignited the firefight. Rex ran forward, double blasters carving a path through the trees. He shot down one, then another. Blue blaster shots traded as he saw some of his men take the bolts and fall back. Rex ducked and shifted, calling for them to stay in formation and keep in cover. He rounded another tree and took another out, watching as the non-clone fell with a yell. Rex was unsettled but kept on until another yelled just loud enough for him to hear again. And a third. Finally, he kneeled before one of the corpses, his eyes narrow. He shimmied the helmet off the Umbaran.

And was consumed by shock when he found a clone staring back at him.

* * *

Rex was greeted by Sola as the door opened to her quarters on Coruscant. She had been following the news and arranged for a taxi to take him to her as soon as he was delivered from Umbara. That's what she told him in her messages she'd sent to him, the ones he received after it has happened…after Krell.

"Rex." She breathed and wrapped her arms around him. Rex hugged her back just as tightly and walked with her into the room, eyes glistening though he did not really want to cry. She kissed his face and smoothed hands over his still-armored shoulders, helping him remove it.

"Tell me. If it may help." She told him soothingly as she did this. "I felt your pain, through the force," she had explained. Had she? Could she? Rex barely felt it himself, so numb and dumbstruck by them all.

He said nothing at first, not knowing quite where to start. But as his armor came off and he was guided to her bed, Rex began to talk. He began to tell her all the horrible occurrences that had befallen him on the planet while she listened, arm wrapped around the back of him.

He talked of the General's first night with them, of his resilience. He could take Krell. He could follow orders. He told of how Krell had nearly cost them all while he stayed to the back, away from the fighting, sending them into poorly thought missions where several clones would wind up dead. He told of how each time, his platoon—his brothers—had come out for the better. How they had survived as long as they could, even capturing enemy Starfighters. But Krell said they were not to be used. Krell…

He hadn't realized he was shaking until he felt Sola smooth her hands over his back and mutter to him.

"It is finished now." She was saying. "It is finished. I can feel your pain. Go on…."

He told her about how he had to try and cover for Fives and Hardcase and Jesse. How Dogma couldn't get past his engineering, how Rex used to be just like him.

"How could he be so blind? How could we all?" Rex asked himself the question as much as he asked Sola.

"How were you to know?" Sola countered. Rex didn't have an argument.

Rex told her about how brave his brothers had been. How the explosions sounded all the way to the base. He told her about how Hardcase had given his life. Rex had to stop and gather himself, inhaling deeply to continue on. He told her about the firing squad, and how he didn't stop them, only vowed justice.

"And I would have gotten it too." He told Sola. "But then they would be dead…." He stopped and had to choke back another round of unwelcome, dry tears. "I was just as bad as Dogma."

"You are not that type of person." Sola said bluntly. "You have not been since…since the first day I met you."

"I was willing to allow them to be killed." Rex shook his head. "They did nothing wrong but I was going to do nothing. I thought I was doing all I could but I wasn't. I could have stopped it earlier. I could have turned on Krell before then. I could have…." He sighed. "I could have stopped us from slaughtering each other—from being tricked by Krell into turning on each other." He was shaking again. "I killed…I don't even know how many brothers I killed Sola…all of them dead at my hand. And for what? What was it for?" The tears were wet now, silent and falling out the sides of his eyes. Sola sat by his side, letting them fall but holding him close.

"Their lives were misused." Sola said finally. "Yet they also aided you in finally getting the strength to revolt against Krell." Rex was unconvinced. "Without his blatant treason, you may have not felt you had adequate grounds for mutiny, for an overthrowing like the one you performed. But with their deaths, you gained the will. There was better uses but it was not, thankfully, for nothing." She paused. "Because you killed him." She smiled.

"No…." Rex shook his head.

"His file—"

"I…froze.": Rex sighed. "I couldn't do it…not in that moment…when I was trying, Dogma shot him from behind." There was a pause. Then Sola sighed.

"Oh, Rex." The pity was there.

"I was willing to sacrifice…but when the time came to do what we knew had to be done…." Rex did not finish. He let them lapse into silence before he asked the question for the second time that night. "What is this all for?" Unlike before, Sola had an answer.

"For the restoration of peace to a galaxy in turmoil." She said.

"War for peace?" He eyed her and Sola said nothing. "War for peace…. But what does that look like? With Jedi like Krell? Corruption, defectors, and all the others. I want to fight for the republic…but what is it really?"

"It's us." Sola said. He turned to her now and placed a hand under her chin, gazing at her.

"You?" He asked, almost scoffing. "Me? No…" he shook his head. "I hesitated even with Krell on his knees; I did that because of the Republic—for the Republic." He brought her face to his now, noses pressed together as he leaned them into intimate space. "But for you…what should I have done?" His lips pressed on hers and Sola gave him a light kiss before uttering the answer they both knew.

"Pulled the trigger." She answered. "Because that was the right choice."

Rex believed her and pulled her beneath him as they tumbled back into the bed. But in the back of his mind, Krell's last words still echoed there: _a position of power now…it feels good doesn't it…._ He wanted to kill Krell not because he knew without a doubt it was the right thing to do but because…he hated him—for the blood he spilled, lives he'd squandered, prejudice he held against clones.

But did that make staying his hand the right decision? It was for the Republic…for loyalty to the Republic…loyalty…dedication…rank…sentient…

 _I can sense your fear._


End file.
